


Home, In All Its Fragments

by Trixree



Category: One Piece
Genre: Familial Love, Found Family, Gen or Pre-Slash, Multi, pre-alabasta, the strawhats being irresistibly adorable, ugh i just love them all so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 05:13:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18771907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trixree/pseuds/Trixree
Summary: Vivi knows a thing or two about family and the unconventional ways it can grow. Maybe this is why she so easily recognizes the family that the Strawhat Pirates are becoming.





	Home, In All Its Fragments

Vivi knows a thing or two about families that transcend the boundaries of genetic connection. A family is not contained in a palace, a lineage, or a carefully curated blood-line. Family is a simple thing. It needs no more guidance than a seed that happens to fall and take root in rich, fertile soil. It grows into empty spaces, curving up and up, twisting like palm trunks towards the sun, and casting deep-set shade beneath its lush fronds. Family is as easy as shade on a sunny day. 

 

Vivi considers herself blessed, having grown up with an implicit understanding of what truly constitutes familial bonds. Her father and his endless kindness were never waning nor absent. He has always been by her side, laughing with her, guiding her, protecting her, teaching her, crying with her, and sharing every other moment in between. He is her blood and her flesh, but he is busy. He is a king. As much as Vivi is his daughter and he her father, he is also a father to his people, and his attention is thus divided. Although, this was never a cause for loneliness. 

 

Vivi had the double benefit of not only being a precocious child but a child deeply loved as well. She is loved not only by her father, but by Igaram, a father in his own right. Igaram has always been by her side, laughing with her, guiding her, protecting her, teaching her, and yes, crying with her, too. The depth of trust and of love she feels towards Igaram is no less than the love she feels for her father. Different, yes. But no less. No more, either. Her father, Igaram, Pell, Chaka, Karoo, Koza… Vivi has been uniquely blessed, for she has lived her whole life knowing that family is not bound by blood. 

 

Family is bound up in moments of the hardiest laughter and the heaviest tears. It is bound up in the promises they have made to each other and to themselves. It is linked, inextricably, to a budding lifetime of love and respect and care and trust. How could something so vast, yet something so simple and clear as the voices of those we love, be contained in a palace, lineage, or bloodline?

 

Vivi knows a thing or two about family and the unconventional ways it can grow. Maybe this is why she so easily recognizes the family that the Strawhat Pirates are becoming.

* * *

 

 

She sees it first in the way Zoro and Luffy squabble that dreadful night on Whiskey Peak. She catches a hint, a glimmer of the deep bond that connects the two in the force with which they hit each other. She sees it in the clench of their jaws and the tune of their voices. Although the night is loud and she cannot make out their words, they shout at one another with the long-forged familiarity of those who have shouted at one another a million times before. But, the night is long, and tear-filled, and oh so complicated. There is no time to linger in contemplation of the bond these pirates have formed with one another when Vivi herself is mourning one she has lost.

 

Igaram’s body floats somewhere in the water, if there is anything left to float at all. 

 

* * *

 

Sanji is… something. 

 

The man is, a monumental  _ fool _ around women. Vivi is immediately put off by his swooning demeanor. However, a long, long history of practice with lecherous and foolish men like him (both as Princess Vivi and as the wicked Ms. Wednesday) has prepared Vivi to brush her discomfort aside for the time being. After all, there are better things to worry about. And yet… He manages to prove himself to be something entirely different than just another lecherous and foolish man. 

 

It happens one afternoon. 

 

Nami is lingering on deck by her garden, flanked on all sides by lush, green trees.  Vivi leans against the railing above, watching Nami tend them. She looks at home there, among the vibrant greens and oranges. Vivi catches herself studying the sunlight that bounces off of Nami’s hair, the way it lights up like fire. She wonders, if she were to card her fingers through that orange hair, if she would get burned. (Even if she did, she doesn’t think she would mind very much.) She watches the curve of Nami’s spine as she twists to reach the higher branches of the trees and she studies the tattoo on her shoulder when she pauses to wipe the sweat from her brow. Vivi half-contemplates going down and joining Nami, just to be close enough to touch, close enough to share the same sticky, humid sea-air. 

 

Vivi, utterly lost in the way the sunlight ripples through Nami’s hair, doesn't notice Sanji approaching her with a drink in hand. 

 

“Vivi-sama!” he cries with a flourish. 

 

“Shh, Shh! Sanji-kun!” Vivi can feel herself turning red from the toes up.  _ Oh god,  _ she thinks,  _ my face must be crimson.  _ And then,  _ Oh god _ ,  _ please don't let Nami have noticed I was watching.  _

 

Sanji blinks, baffled by Vivi's obvious embarrassment, until his eyes fall on the view just beyond the balcony. His eyes immediately burst into wide hearts. He unintelligibly swoons, but he’s quiet about it. It’s almost like he too has an implicit understanding of the magic of the moment. Even lost in his amorous adoration, he still has the courtesy not to break the tension. He doesn’t burst the delicate bubble of the scene. Instead, he calms, letting out one last adoring sigh and, after a moment, he turns to look at Vivi. 

 

She’s avoiding his eyes, staring intently at the drink in her hand. Her jaw is clenched and her cheeks are red. Sanji, curiously, takes the sight in, but doesn’t comment. Until, 

 

“Hey,” he says. There’s something serious in his voice. Vivi’s never heard the tone and looks up. She’s embarrassed, oh  _ god  _ she’s embarrassed (and scared, really pretty scared) but something about the tone of his voice prompts her to look up. His face is thoughtful, but, most importantly,  _ kind.  _

 

“I won’t say anything, if… if you’re worried.” Vivi swallows, hard. “Not that this ship is any kind of place to worry about that sort of thing… But. I won’t… say anything.” 

 

To say the least, it wasn’t what she expected out of him. Alabasta is by no means a rigidly conservative kingdom. Vivi has long accepted and understood her attraction to women and is grateful for her country’s diversity, in that respect. But, that’s not to say she hasn’t encountered… other, less accepting opinions. She’s only ever felt fearful or ashamed about who she is a handful of times in her life, but those kinds of things linger. To be honest, she was worried what a self-proclaimed “womanizer” might think about her obvious crush on another woman.  

 

It is here that Sanji proves her wrong about the kind of person he is. He closes his eyes and sighs before starting again. His eyes stay pointed towards Nami down below, but they’re somewhere far off. “Of all people,  _ Luffy  _ saw me in a… similar situation.” Vivi doubletakes. 

 

“O-oh,” she squeaks, but Sanji continues. 

 

“I didn’t know what he was gonna say. I grew up on a ship of ex-pirates— _ all  _ men. I had heard some things about… well, you know. I… didn’t want him to think less of me, ya know?” Sanji shook his head, chuckled a little. “Bastard didn’t even blink. I tore his head off about it and he didn’t even seem to get why I was so upset. He’s dense but, not  _ that _ dense. It took me a bit to realise that he was making a point.” 

 

“The  _ Merry  _ is not the kind of place to worry about this sort of thing, Vivi-sama. I promise,” he says it with conviction. 

 

_ I misjudged you,  _ she thinks, watching him part from her with a smile. She thinks about what that moment must have been like, for him. She has seen a fair bit of Sanji these past few weeks. She’s seen the sort of bravado he puts on. She thinks it gives her a fair indication of the sort of barriers the man has. 

 

She stays there thinking for a long time about the kind of love that it takes to break those sorts of barriers.

 

* * *

  
  


“The thing is,” Zoro explains in a voice Vivi would almost say is more of a  _ whine  _ than a voice at all, “he’s just so.... small.” 

 

Vivi had entirely unintentionally (okay, maybe semi-intentionally) stumbled upon Zoro and the newest member of the Strawhat crew one afternoon shortly after departing from the Drum Kingdom. Zoro was in his usual spot on the ship, leaned against the side of the cabin in a patch of warm sunlight, probably about to be asleep or currently asleep. However, this afternoon, he had company. 

 

Curled up and asleep in Zoro’s lap was Chopper. The little reindeer’s head was resting atop of one of Zoro’s thighs, his arms tucked up under his cheek, his legs tucked into his chest, and his blue nose twitching ever-so-often with the breeze. He looked completely content and absolutely, dead-to-the-world asleep. Zoro had one hand resting on Chopper’s shoulder. It rose and fell steadily with his slow, sleepy breathing. This sight was particularly amusing, as Zoro’s hand was a little larger than half of Chopper’s entire torso. Zoro himself had his eyes gently closed, not yet asleep, but not too far off either. Vivi concluded that this was absolutely, unquestionably, completely … _ adorable.  _

 

Zoro’s eyes shot open like a rocket the second he heard her take one step across the deck. His eyes met hers and Vivi jumped a little in surprise. There was a comical moment of silence before, all at once, Zoro’s entire face turned as red as Chopper’s hat. 

 

“He’s just so…  _ small,”  _ Zoro said with the helpless voice of a man that knows he has been entirely defeated. He still had not moved his hand off of Chopper’s tiny shoulder. 

 

Vivi couldn’t help but smile. “I guess you’re right, Swordsman-san.” 

“If you tell anyone--” he started, failing miserably to sound the least bit threatening whatsoever. 

 

“Of course I won’t.” No, they looked far too comfortable for that. She would hate to ruin the moment. “You should enjoy the day,” Vivi concluded. The wind picked up. Subsequently, Chopper’s nose scrunched up and twitched. Even Vivi had to admit, the sight was a little more than adorable. It was almost  _ precious _ . Zoro seemed to agree, as his face made a valiant attempt at turning even redder, and he looked about ten seconds away from having an aneurysm. 

 

She laughed quietly behind her hand, she couldn’t help it. Her heart was warm in a way she hadn’t felt in quite awhile. Zoro glared holes into the deck of the Merry. She had never seen a man look quite so pained.

 

“Enjoy your nap, Swordsman-san,” she concluded with all the royal dignity she could muster in the moment. She heard the monumental sigh of relief he exhaled as she turned the corner and was no longer in sight of the pair. 

 

Vivi also heard the monstrous shout of rage Zoro directed at both Usopp and Sanji a mere fifteen minutes later. That sound was quickly followed by Usopp’s distinct shriek of mortal terror and the metallic clang of swords meeting the business end of Sanji’s shoes. 

 

She said she wouldn’t tell anyone... but she hadn’t made any promises about not sending anyone over in his direction.

 

* * *

 

 

Vivi is listening to Usopp one night on the deck of the  _ Going Merry _ . He’s telling a thrilling after-dinner tale to a wide-eyed Luffy and Chopper. Vivi admires Usopp’s dedication to storytelling, his theatrics, and his ability to keep Luffy still in one place for more than two minutes. In his story, he is leading a ferocious army of ten thousand men against an invading force of twenty thousand men, all to protect one girl, a beautiful Princess Kaya. 

 

As the story starts to wind down and the Great Sniper-General-Hero Usopp wins the heart of the princess, Chopper asks, with starts in his eyes, “Wow, I can’t believe I missed it!” 

 

Usopp laughs like he thinks a very haughty warrior would laugh. “The battle was quite a sight, though, Princess Kaya was the true vision.” 

 

“Really? What did she look like, Usopp?” Chopper asks. 

 

Here, Usopp quickly loses all of his bravado. 

 

“Well,” he says, a little quieter, a little more genuine, “she’s absolutely the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. She’s… so beautiful and so kind and so strong. There’s not a sound in the world that can compare with her laugh—” 

 

Luffy chooses this opportune moment to burp,  _ loudly.  _ Usopp and Chopper dissolve into laughter despite themselves and the topic is dropped. 

 

Much later, after most of the Strawhats have retired for bed, Vivi finds Usopp. 

 

“That was a pretty good story tonight,” she tells him. He laughs, offering a haughty, and then a much more sincere thank you. “So, Kaya, is she from your village?”

 

Usopp smiles a small, private thing. “Yeah, she is.” He puts a hand on the mast of the  _ Merry,  _ grinning up at her sails proudly. “She’s the friend that gave us the Merry.” 

 

“Oh wow. That must have been hard, then. To leave.” Usopp sighs a little. “Oh, gosh—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said—” 

 

“No, no, it’s fine, you’re fine,” he reassures Vivi, a bit frantically. “No, no it was. I lo—well, I really like her.” It’s a little too dark out to make out such a thing as a blush, but the way Usopp trips over the “l word” betrays him. 

 

“Why go, then? If you don’t mind me asking,” she asks, gently. There’s a quiet moment where only the rolling sea breaks the silence. The  _ Merry  _ rocks gently onwards. 

 

“Well,” he says, “I always knew I wanted to go out to sea and have adventures of my own.” Vivi smiles. She thought it was something like that. A love for adventure winning out, in the end. “And…” he continues. “And, I guess… I guess I really like Luffy and the others, too.”

 

Vivi hums. “I think that’s very noble,” she concludes, smiling as bright as the moon. 

  
And she does.

 

* * *

 

It’s a lesser moment, when it comes to Nami. There’s no conversation, no battle, no surprising cuddle-session to mention. Vivi sees Nami’s love for the crew in the jut of her hip when she screams at Luffy for being careless around the water. She sees it in the drip, drip, drip of Nami’s hair onto the deck of the  _ Merry  _ after she had to dive in to grab him. She sees it in the rough swat Nami delivers to the back of Luffy’s head. She sees it in the way Nami carefully wrings the water out of the strawhat before placing it back on Luffy’s head.

 

Vivi sees it in the way she nudges Zoro awake just a little too roughly with her foot. She sees it in the exasperated, yet fond looks that the two share when Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper manage to get up to something ridiculous. She sees it in the threats of increased debt and thirty-percent interest hikes. She notices it in their fierce drinking competitions. She sees it in the expensive bottle of sake she lets Zoro buy, even though she beats him. 

 

Vivi sees it in the way Nami carefully brushes the knots out of Chopper’s fur. She sees it in the way she relies on Chopper to keep Luffy and Zoro from killing themselves with ridiculous stunts. She sees it in the way Nami still shouts at Chopper, loud and brutal, just the same as she would shout at Luffy. She sees it in the way Chopper hides behind Nami’s legs, sometimes, when he gets a little too scared or overwhelmed. She sees it in the way that Nami stands just a little wider to accommodate. 

 

It’s in the way Nami tolerates Sanji’s cooing and swooning. She sees it when Nami expresses her genuine appreciation for Sanji’s specially made dishes and treats. She sees it in Nami’s laugh when he and Zoro clash over something ridiculous. She sees it in the way Nami defers to Sanji’s judgement, sometimes. Her relief that she’s not the only one tasked with caring for “these idiots” is palpable. 

 

She sees it when Usopp and Nami shriek and cling to each other in fear. She sees it in their shared panic and their shared caution. Vivi watches them bicker about “who shields who” and “who goes to check out the ominous noise” and “who has to man the sails despite there being a  _ sea king, a massive goddamn sea king right there, Usopp!”  _ She sees it in the way they look at each other across the deck or dining table and manage to convey, without any words at all, how absolutely  _ doomed  _ they both are. She sees it in the comfort each is able to take in that they are both, at least, doomed  _ together.  _

 

Vivi sees Nami’s love for the Strawhats in all these little fragments. It makes her love the girl just a little bit more, somehow.

 

* * *

 

 

She’s sad to leave them. God, she’s absolutely devastated, torn apart, ripped to shreds inside to leave them. But she knows Alabasta is where she belongs. She knows it so deeply inside of her that it might as well be in her marrow. 

 

So, as Vivi stands up there, on that cliff with Karoo by her side and the whole expanse of the ocean in front of her, watching the arms and the backs of the ragtag crew she’s come to love fade into the distant sky, she’s grieving what could have been. Although she’s greving—although she’s been devastated, torn apart, ripped to shreds, and put back together again by this crew of absolutely crazy idiots—she’s happy. 

 

She's happy because she knows they’ll be fine. Family takes care of each other, after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> This short, self-indulgent little thing has been sitting in my drive since December. I can't believe I actually decided to finish it, let alone post it, dear god. Unbetad, for better or worse (probably for worse)  
> I'm on [tumblr](https://trixree.tumblr.com/)!


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